Mint On The Pillow
Part Twelve – Mint On The Pillow
The Canal View Motel was another of those places she would never have chosen to stay in herself, but after her recent failure to recapture Jarod she was in the doghouse, and as punishment her expenses were being reviewed.
She walked up to the door of her room, noting the cracking paintwork and the tasteless curtains with disdain, but she had to smile as the 'C' on the tall neon sign flickered and went out. She shook her head and unlocked the door.
A lean ginger cat appeared out of the shadows and meowed mournfully at her, rubbing against her legs. She reached down to stroke it briefly and the thing purred like a motorbike. She patted it goodnight went on in to her dubiously decorated lodging.
A half hour later, she was just stepping out of the shower, cursing the alternatively hot and cold water, when her phone rang. She swore again, threw a towel round herself and ran still dripping into the bedroom.
She snatched up her phone. "Parker," she snapped.
"Now what could possibly put sweet-tempered Miss Parker in such a foul mood?" Jarod's honey voice teased. Miss Parker huffed and flopped down on the bed, distractedly picking at the green foil on the after-dinner mint by her head.
"You could. You always do. I hope you're calling to apologise."
It hadn't taken Jarod long to pretend his way onto the staff of a local radio station and set up a county-wide phone-in about women who prefer do the 'chasing'. He'd called it The Parker Tendency, interjecting each call with completely fabricated suggestive stories about her. This had inevitably provoked plenty of jokes from Sydney and Broots, in fact, almost everyone at the Centre had tuned in.
She had finally arrived at the radio station to a round of applause from the staff, minus Jarod of course, who had hung a life size poster of her behind his desk.
"I just thought you'd like to know that you're not alone. There are lots of women out there just like you--"
"Tormented by smug laboratory runaways? And even after I saved your life! Your ingratitude knows no bounds."
"Well, think of this as my way of thanking you--"
A strange croaky whine sounded in the background as he spoke.
"I made you famous didn't I?"
A faint thrumming sound like a motorbike…
"Jarod, where are you!" Parker got off the bed, went over to the window.
"You know where."
She moved the hideous curtains aside. Jarod was sat on the step outside; the ginger cat in his lap was purring contentedly at his petting.
She dashed to the door and opened it. He stood up to meet her with a hypnotic smile. She shivered slightly in the doorway, drops of water still glistened on her bare shoulders and her hair dripped down her back.
She smiled and held out the mint from the pillow.
"Here, I saved this for you."
He took it from her with a sly smile as they stepped inside.
FIN
Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and kept egging me on. This fic has been great fun to write and I hope you enjoyed it! xx